Community Helps Out Scouts

By Krista Pfunder 

Part of the Boy Scout oath reads, “I will do my best to help other people at all times.”  When a local Boy Scout troop recently had items stolen, roles were reversed and it was the community that jumped in to help out the Scouts. 

Two trailers were stolen from Boy Scouts of America Troop 1792 of Sunderland in Calvert County not long before Christmas. 

“I noticed one trailer missing but figured it was out on activities,” says David Hill, treasurer for Troop 1792. “The next day, the second trailer was gone.” Hill knew something was amiss and called the Calvert County Sheriff’s Department. 

 The trailers, which are stored in the parking lot of All Saints Episcopal Church in Huntingtown are marked with the Boy Scout logo and lettering that has deep meaning for the Troop. 

“Our larger trailer is a statement of the Troop and is a personal connection to current, future and past Scouts,” Hill says. “It has a listing of all the names of Scouts who have gone on to become Eagle Scouts. It also has a list of all our Scout Masters.” 

Both trailers were found in St. Leonard—with lots of help from the community. 

“We had quite a bit of help spreading the word,” Hill says. “We posted what happened on Facebook and the response was so great that I couldn’t keep track of all the reposts.” 

Hill specifically credits Detective Michael Mudd with the sheriff’s department for making sure the trailers made it back to the Troop.  

“Detective Mudd kept me informed the whole time and did some impressive leg work,” Hill says. 

Neighbors went above and beyond to support the investigation. The sheriff’s department offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to the recovery of the trailers. Bayside Chevrolet in Prince Frederick matched that reward, bringing the total to $5,000. 

“I received a phone call from a citizen saying they’d donate $250 to the reward but the trailers were found right after,” Hill says. 

In true Boy Scout form, help also came in the form of fellow Troops from around the region. “Other Scout Troops passed the hat around and collected money for us,” Hill says. 

The recovered trailers seem to have most of the items still inside. “It looks like all the stuff is in there and we are completing an inventory this week to make sure,” Hill says. 

The larger, 15-foot trailer holds equipment for camping, including tents and cooking items. The smaller is mostly used to transport items for the Scouts’ Adopt-a-Highway program. 

But the trailers weren’t completely unscathed. The smaller, 10-foot trailer had been spray-painted black, covering the Boy Scouts of America insignia.  

The Troop is deciding what to do with the exterior of the trailer. “We may keep it painted black,” Hill says. 

If they decide to remove the spray paint or find that items are indeed missing from inside the trailers, they will have plenty of help covering expense’s as aid is still pouring in from the community. “I’ve had a couple of phone calls of offers to help buy paint,” Hill says.